Pat McAfee Show Moves to ESPN in Multimillion-Dollar Deal
Pat McAfee, the former Pro Bowl and All-Pro punter for the Colts, is moving his popular YouTube show, « The Pat McAfee Show, » to ESPN in a multimillion-dollar deal expected to begin in the fall. The amount ESPN will pay McAfee is not fully known, but sources say it is more than eight figures per year. McAfee’s program, which had grown in popularity by streaming on YouTube, will remain on the platform and also appear on ESPN and ESPN+.
McAfee’s Rise in Sports Media
McAfee has had a meteoric rise in sports media after walking away from millions as a player. He has found success and employers with Barstool Sports, ESPN, Fox, DAZN, SiriusXM, Westwood One, and, in his biggest deal, with FanDuel. McAfee has said he wanted to take the burden of the behind-the-scenes work off his plate, and the ESPN partnership should alleviate that pressure.
What the Deal Means for ESPN
ESPN executives had vowed to only work out a deal if they thought it would make money for the company. The move comes with Disney in the midst of layoffs in which 7,000 jobs will be eliminated, including some at ESPN. While McAfee is already a regular on ESPN’s « College GameDay » and does college football alt-broadcasts with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions for ESPN, his YouTube show is more free-wheeling, including liberal use of the f-word. If McAfee does have full control, it may indicate that the Disney deal is some sort of licensing agreement.
Keywords: Pat McAfee, ESPN, YouTube, FanDuel, sports media, deal, partnership, Disney, layoffs, licensing agreement.